Dividends are a form of income generally paid from the profits a company makes. Dividends paid to holders of UK shares jumped to a record high in the first three months of the year, rising 15.7% to £19.7 billion.

The Income Tax personal allowance has been increased to £12,500, allowing more of your income to be received without being subject to tax. For those who qualify for the marriage allowance transfer, (where a non-taxpaying spouse can transfer 10% of their personal allowance to a basic rate taxpaying spouse) the taxpayer can earn £13,750 before tax applies.

Do you know that around half a million older workers may be paying “unnecessary” tax on their state pension, analysis revealed from the Government’s Labour Force Survey and Family Resources Survey.

Analysis in the report shows that investors who put money into zombie funds are often being disadvantaged as a result of high charges and poor investment performance. Regular investments reviews, typically annually, are therefore essential to ensure your funds are able to work as hard for you as possible.

Research conducted by Saga has confirmed that one in seven UK retirees accessed their pension pots without advice, which represents more than £3.2 billion having been drawn as a lump sum from pensions. Retirees have accessed approximately £23.6 billion in total since the pension freedom rules were introduced in April 2015.

Have you ever thought about ISA Investing, or more specifically, Stocks & Shares ISA investing? This can be a great way to build wealth over the longer term.

Data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) shows that savers have been over-taxed more than £400m since the start of pensions freedoms in April 2015. This comes in the form of income tax which is deducted when individuals make lump sum withdrawals from their pension fund after the age of 55.

One Social Media Platform in particular is being warned of investment scams being promoted on their sites with victims losing a total of £3 million since October 2018. Action Fraud issued the warning, after receiving 356 reports of fraud targeting Instagram Users, reporting the average loss to be £8,900.

Most people would like to retire in their early sixties (or before) whilst they are still fit and healthy to enjoy themselves, but not all have made adequate provisions to do so and many feel that they will need to continue working past their preferred retirement age.

As we gradually age, become more wiser and enjoy a well earned rest from working, our attention turns to later life and how to ensure we receive appropriate support and care should it be required. According to Alzheimer’s Research UK’s 2015 analysis report 1 in 3 people born in the UK from 2015 will develop dementia, which is a worrying statistic.